This breed has it
origins in Miyazaki Prefecture. The modern herd of 88 animals
now ranges on the cape of Toi. They average 12.2 to 13 hands
(130 – 135 cm) in height. They first appear in history in 1697
when the Akizuki family of the Takanabe Clan took animals then
grazing wild under its protection and created a stud farm. The
system was based on giving the breeding stock full freedom and
rounding them up once a year presumably to select horses for
training and to check on health as well as perhaps castrate
males thought unfit for breeding. The same system is used today;
once a year animals are corralled at which time inoculations are
given and the animals sprayed or dipped to eliminate insect
pests. This breed has been designated a National Natural
Treasure and the herd has become the focus of tourism.
